Article withdrawal device

ABSTRACT

Provided is a device for facilitating withdrawal of filled beverage cans or the like articles from a carton. The device consists of an elongated member having located at one end, a cover adapted when the device is located under a layer of cans in a carton to close a can access port in a wall of the container and at the other end a can restraining ridge adapted to pass under a bottom row of cans in the carton but urge the adjacent can toward said port upon controlled withdrawal of the device from the carton. The invention also provides the combination of the device and a carton filled with a full complement of cans and having a potential can-access opening in a side wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to packaging and, in particular, secondarycartons for containing bottled or, especially, cans of beverages.

Popular versions of such secondary cartons are usually composed of a topwall, bottom wall, two side walls and two end walls and contain up to 24primary containers. However, very popular are cartons containing asmaller number say 6 or 12 or even up to 18 primary containers, thesesmaller packages being readily kept in a fridge for cooling of theircontents. As will be appreciated, removal of the contents, especially ona one-by-one basis, usually invokes removing the entire carton orproviding access via a wall of the carton. Carton producers haveattempted to provide convenient access to the primary containers bybuilding a severable access panel into a carton wall. However,re-closing the carton is usually a problem, especially followingremoving primary containers on several occasions when tearing of theboard usually occurs. Attempts to solve this problem has resulted in thedesigning of complex and expensive, cartons having discharge chutes etc.However, such cartons, especially for 6 and 12 cans have to be, forcommercial reasons, simple and inexpensive and usually are simple“sleeves”. If it is desired to locate the carton in the fridge duringremoval of the cans, there is a tendency for more than one can tounavoidably exit the carton. The above noted chutes can remedy thatproblem but only at high, and usually unacceptable, cost.

A combination attempting to solve these problems is disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 5,284,292 but that solution leaves something to be desired,FIG. 5 of that patent indicating how the slideable member projects outof the carton. It is an object of the present invention to provide acarton withdrawing device which greatly facilitates the removal of cansfrom their associated secondary container.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a devicewhich assists in keeping the carton contents cold even when the cartonhas been removed from a fridge or another cooling device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a simple and inexpensive device forwithdrawing cylindrical articles especially beverage-containing cansfrom a secondary container, the device comprising an elongated basemember and upstanding from an end thereof at an angle of at most 90°, acarton closure member. The base member is preferably dimensioned tooverlie most of the interior surface of the wall of an associated cartonupon which wall the cans will lie on their side in preparation forremoval. In fact, when inserted in the carton with its complement ofcans, the bottom layer of cans will actually lie on the device basemember. The closure member is dimensioned to fit and overlay a containeraccess portal or opening of a container enclosing one or more rows ofthe cylindrical article, especially a can containing a beverage.

In one aspect therefore, the present invention provides a device forwithdrawing a cylindrical article from a secondary container whichcontainer encloses at least one row of said articles lying on their sidealong a first wall of said container which container also has a secondwall having a potential opening for discharging said articles; saiddevice comprising a base member having a width not more than the lengthof each article and a length about that of said second wall and havingat one end, an upstanding cover member dimensioned to close saidopening, and at another end a primary container-restraining memberadapted to pass under said row of articles upon said base member beinginserted through said opening and under said row of articles, saiddevice being outwardly pullable to withdraw one or more of said articlesfrom said secondary container.

In another aspect the invention provides a device for withdrawingprimary beverage containers from a secondary container which encloses atleast one row of said primary containers lying on their side along afirst wall of said container which also has a second wall having apotential opening for discharging said primary containers, said devicecomprising a base member having a width not more than the length of eachprimary container and a length about that of said second wall and havingat one end an upstanding cover member dimensioned to close said opening,and at another end a primary container ridge-restraining member, saidbase member being adapted to pass and lie under said row of primarycontainers upon its being inserted through said opening and under saidrow of primary containers, said device being outwardly pullable towithdraw one or more of said primary containers from within saidsecondary container.

In a further aspect the present invention provides in combination, aprimary beverage container containing at least one layer of adjacentprimary beverage containers lying on their sides on a first wall and asecond wall having a potential opening for discharging said primarycontainers, said device comprising a base member having a width not morethan the length of each primary container and a length about that ofsaid second wall and having at one end an upstanding cover member,dimensioned to close said opening, and at another end a primarycontainer ridge member restraining adapted to pass under said row ofprimary containers upon said base member being inserted through saidopening, when created, and lie under said row of primary containers,said device being outwardly pullable to withdraw one or more of saidprimary containers from said secondary container.

The present invention will be further described with reference to, butnot limited by, the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view from above of a device of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of another device of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a further device of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation—partially cut away, of a 3×4 twelve pack withthe device of FIG. 2 in position.

FIG. 5 is an end elevation of the carton shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a similar view of the carton as shown in FIG. 4 but with thedevice partially extracted and one beverage can withdrawn from thecarton.

FIG. 7 is a cross-section through a trapezoid-shaped promotional cartoncontaining nine cans and including a device of the present invention inposition in said carton with the carton access opening formed.

Turning to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the articlewithdrawing device of the present invention, the device generallydesignated 10 comprises a base 12 formed of a strip 14 of a high densitypolyethylene having upstanding opening cover 16 which is angled slightlytoward strip 14, the angle between base 12 and cover 16 being slightlyless than 99° and a can restraining ridge member 18 located at the endof the base remote from cover 16. The device is molded in one piece.

FIG. 2 shows a modified form of the device of FIG. 1 but wherein covermember 16 is provided with a knob 20 which constitutes a handle to allowfor convenient handling especially insertion and withdrawal of thedevice 10. In addition to ridge 18, this embodiment is also providedwith a second can restraining ridge 22 formed of two parts 24. Ridge 22could be formed in one piece in a similar manner to ridge 18.

Turning to FIG. 3, this illustrates yet a further embodiment of thedevice 10 as shown in FIG. 1 but wherein cover 16 is extended slightlyin its lateral dimension and its edges 17 are each provided with a lip26 which is arranged to lie outside and adjacent to the associated sidewalls 27 of a secondary carton.

In FIG. 4, is shown the device of FIG. 2 in an operative position in acarton 30. The carton has a top wall 32, a bottom wall 34 and end walls36 and 38. The latter is provided with can access opening 40 which isshown in its open state with door panel 42 lying open i.e. edge 44severed from end wall 38 along tear line 46 and door panel 42 rotated toexpose opening 40. Inserted through opening 40 is withdrawal device 10,base 12 of which been fully inserted under the bottom row of cans 50 sothat end ridge 18 is positioned behind the last end can 50 and forwardridge 22 is positioned between the first and second cans 50 i.e.slightly more than one can 50 diameter from cover 16. In this fullyinserted positional, cover 16 completely seals opening 40. It may benoted that only six cans 50 of the original twelve remain.

FIG. 5 shows the area 19 of overlap of device cover 16 over its adjacentend wall 38, this assisting in sealing the carton.

Turning to FIG. 6, this shows the carton 30 of FIG. 4 but with theinventive device partially extracted from the carton 30 with the firstcan 50 withdrawn and outside of wall 38 and available for picking up. Ofparticular note is that upon, device 10 being pulled out, a space iscreated behind restraining ridge 18 which has pulled the original endcan 50 forward toward discharge opening 40. That space is automaticallyfilled by new end can 50 which has descended from the second row of canssupported by the first layer of cans 50.

Finally, turning to FIG. 7, this shows an alternative type of secondarycontainer which has a trapezoid shape and contains a full complement ofnine cans 50. As with previously described embodiments, one end wall 38is provided with a can access opening 40 shown totally covered by cover16 of device 10. End cover 16 is biased by having its upper edgeinclined inwards against the outer surface of end wall 38. The anglebetween base 14 and cover 16 is about 60°. Cover 16 also has a handleconstituted by a rope member 54 located through a hole 56 in cover 16and retained there via knots 57. This also provides a pleasingpresentation to the consumer. It should also be noted that the base 14of device 10 does not extend the full length of bottom wall 34, thelatter, because of the trapezoid shape of carton 50, extending past thefirst and fourth cans 50 a little more than in a correspondingrectangular carton. It is only necessary that the can restraining ridge18 is positioned behind the fourth or end can 50 when cover 16 is inposition sealing opening 40 since that is sufficient to ensure cans 50in the bottom row are pullable to and through opening 40. Finally, theend wall section 42 which initially sealed the carton on its contentshas, in this case, been completely removed with only edge 58 remaining.

The present invention operates as follows:

Referring to FIG. 4, carton 30 is opened by removing a tear strip 46which frees the edge 44 of door panel 42 from the remainder of end wall38. Panel 42 rotates about the join 45 of end wall 38 and bottom wall34. This action may be taken whilst carton 30 is supported on its otherend wall 30. This not only ensures that no cans 50 exit through opening40 when not desired but assists the sliding of device base 12 betweenthe inside surface of bottom wall 34 and the first row of cans 50.Can-retaining ridge 18 readily passes past all the cans especially sincethe cans 50 are not, at time, supported by bottom wall 34. Upon thedevice 10 being fully inserted into the carton 30, cover 16 completelyfills opening 40 with its upper edge 47 overlying the lower edge 49 ofend wall 38. In this embodiment, the base 12 of the device is providedwith additional can restraining ridge means 22 which is then locatedbetween the first and second of cans 50. Door panel 42 may be retainedor, as shown in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, may be simply ripped offat its join 58 with the bottom wall 34. The carton may then be set downon its base 34 in a cooler or refrigerator if desired. To withdraw orextract a can, handle 20 is grasped and pulled to the position shown inFIG. 6: the first can 50 is then simply picked up with the hand. In thisembodiment, second can retaining ridge 22 prevents a further can 50 fromfilling the space vacated by the removal of the first can 50 readilyallowing sequential can removal. In the case of the device of FIG. 1 andFIG. 7, in the absence of a second ridge 22, a second can 50 wouldautomatically move into the vacated spot under urging from the influenceof gravity. Returning to FIG. 6, the partial withdrawal or extraction ofthe device 10 from the carton 30 results in a can 50 falling into thespace behind ridge 18. Re-insertion of the device 10 into the cartonresults in the base 12 being returned to its original position tounderlie the now full row of cans 50 as shown in FIG. 4, ridge 18readily passing under the last can 50 adjacent end wall 36. Theprocedure is repeated until there is only one row of cans left, allcarried by the device 10 and these may be extracted simply bywithdrawing the device 10, if necessary, its full length from within thecarton 30.

The combination of carton 50 and device 10 shown in FIG. 7 operates insubstantially the same manner. FIG. 7 shows a promotional carton whichmay well be filled by hand because of its unusual shape. The carton isinitially partially erected from a blank but leaving one trapezoidshaped side wall open. The device 10 can be inserted but with its cover16 located inside the end wall 38 of the carton 50 as shown in phantom.Note that there is a space between ridge 18 and end wall 38 for ease ofensuring sufficient room for the cover 16 inside the carton 51. Inadditional to its can dispensing function, the presence of thisembodiment of the device within the carton during its delivery to theconsumer generally increases the strength and structural integrity ofthe carton-can package combination, another feature of the presentinvention. The open trapezoid side wall is then rotated and, forexample, mechanically secured in known manner to seal the carton. Priorto creating the can access opening 40, the side wall (not shown) isunlocked, the device 10 is extracted; the same side wall is re-securedand opening 40 created by severing door panel 42. The device 10 can thenbe re-inserted in carton 51 to be operated as described above.

It should be noted that the cover 16 can be arranged to closely seal thecan access opening 40. Consequently, the cans in such a carton which hasbeen cooled in a fridge or the like, will stay cool for a prolongedperiod if the carton is removed from the fridge. This function isassisted by the use of the wrap-around lips shown in FIG. 3.

As will be appreciated, the device 10 can be reused with any cartonwhich can provide an access opening of dimensions to allow insertion ofa device 10 and cover 16 to seal opening 40 and removal of cans is asdescribed.

The present invention also includes the combination of a carton and thewithdrawal device as described above. Although the invention isspecifically described above with reference to cans of a beverage, itcan obviously be used in association with bottles and the like and morebroadly, any cylindrical containers or articles which are packaged in asimilar manner as cans as described above.

1) A device for withdrawing a cylindrical article from a secondarycontainer which encloses at least one row of said articles lying ontheir side along a first wall of said container which also has a secondwall having a potential opening for discharging said articles, saiddevice comprising a base member having a width not more than the lengthof each article and a length about that of said second wall having atone end an upstanding cover member, dimensioned to close said opening,and at another end a primary container ridge member restraining andadapted to pass under said row of articles upon said base member beinginserted through said opening and under said row of articles, saiddevice being outwardly pullable to withdraw one or more of said articlesfrom said secondary container. 2) A device for withdrawing primarybeverage containers from a secondary container which encloses at leastone row of said primary containers lying on their side along a firstwall of said container which also has a second wall having a potentialopening for discharging said primary containers, said device comprisinga base member having a width not more than the length of each primarycontainer and a length about that of said second wall having at one endan upstanding cover member, dimensioned to close said opening, and atanother end a primary container ridge member restraining and adapted topass under said row of primary containers upon said base member beinginserted through said opening and under said row of primary containers,said device being outwardly pullable to withdraw one or more of saidprimary containers from said secondary container. 3) A device accordingto claim 1 or 2 wherein these are a plurality of said rows. 4) A deviceaccording to claim 1 or 2 which has a further primary containerrestraining ridge member spaced from said cover member a distance morethan a radius, but less than three times the radius, of one such primarycontainer. 5) A device according to claim 2 wherein a distance more thana radius but less than a diameter of one such primary container. 6) Adevice according to claim 1 wherein said primary container is a beveragecan. 7) A device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said cover member isprovided with handle means. 8) A device according to claim 1 or 2wherein said cover member is provided with lip members one extendingfrom each upstanding edge, each of which members is adapted to overliean outside surface of an adjacent carton side wall. 9) In combination, asecondary beverage container containing at least one layer of adjacentprimary beverage containers lying on their sides on a first wall and asecond wall having a potential opening for discharging said primarycontainers, said device comprising a base member having a width not morethan the length of each primary container and a length about that ofsaid second wall having at one end an upstanding cover member,dimensioned to close said opening, and at another end a primarycontainer ridge member restraining and adapted to pass under said row ofprimary containers upon said base member being inserted through saidopening and under said row of primary containers, said device beingoutwardly pullable to withdraw one or more of said primary containersfrom said secondary container.